Detective Sgt. Jason Greenspane is something of an institution in town. 

In 1995, he donned his Port Townsend Police Department (PTPD) badge and took to the streets for his first solo patrol as an officer.

“I believe it was my first call for the day on my own, and it was a legit bank robbery,” he said. “Those can be violent situations, but luckily it wasn’t.”

Now, 30 years later, he is one of the longest-serving member of the department, and has been named — at least twice — as Port Townsend’s favorite law enforcement officer in The Leader’s Readers’ Choice awards. 

“We joke about it up here, or you know, between the sheriff’s office,” Greenspane said, laughing, when asked about the recognition. “It’s a good feeling, knowing that you are respected in the community. I just try to carry myself as a decent human being while I am doing my job. I think if everybody does that, there’s a better chance you’re going to have positive outcomes.”

Asked to recall some of his most memorable calls over the years, Greenspane said it’s difficult to remember individual calls, given he learned to “switch off” early on in his career. 

“I’ll go home, I’ll sleep fine no matter what I was dealing with that day because I kind of just turned it off when I hit the door,” he said. “After I’ve finished writing my report on a situation, I don’t try to retain that information. Maybe it’s a psychological response or something like that, but I think it helps in the long run.”

Port Townsend Police Chief Thomas Olson called Greenspane “a rock for the PTPD.” 

“His institutional knowledge and connection to the community have been invaluable,” Olson said. “As a brand-new chief nearly five years ago, it was extremely helpful to have him on the team. I hope that he sticks around for a few more years.”

Greenspane moved to Port Townsend in first grade and later graduated from Port Townsend High School. At 16, he began volunteer firefighting with what would become East Jefferson Fire Rescue. By 18, he was doing ride-alongs with the PTPD.

“I knew I wanted to do something in the first responder field,” Greenspane said. “I really liked helping people in distress, helping folks getting back into functional members of society, if I can. I just had that strong desire to help others, I guess.”  

During his time at the department, Greenspane has held several roles, staying long enough to work under at least seven different chiefs. 

“I did some downtown foot patrol stuff initially, and then for many years I’ve spent as a patrol officer,” he said. “I’ve done bike patrol, and I was a detective for probably eight to 10 years. Then I took a promotion to sergeant, but that meant I had to go back to patrol, and I did that for the last few years, and then late last year, I got moved over to detective sergeant.” 

He said he’s never seriously considered leaving, mentioning family that lives locally. 

“I’ve just not really had any real desire to go to another agency,” he said. “I like the small-town feel. I don’t like dealing with super-heavy traffic like bigger cities offer. I also like that we’re surrounded by water, mountains and stuff to do outdoors.” 

Now in his thirtieth year, Greenspane leads the department’s one-man detective bureau, overseeing investigations into serious crimes. 

“Right now, my case load is mostly sex crimes,” he said. “Anything that comes up of a more serious nature or requiring heavy investigative resources is going to land on my desk. That can be serious assault, serious financial crimes.” 

Given his institutional knowledge, he also helps “get new people up to speed,” noting that he handles many administrative duties. 

As a mentor of sorts, Greenspane’s advice to younger law enforcement officers is clear: “As much as possible, given the situation, be compassionate and understanding with people you’re dealing with.”

He plans to work at the department for a few more years before retiring.